Open top cabinet with card holder



W. H. JOACHIM OPEN TOP CABINET WITH CARD HOLDER Jan. 22, 1957 5'ShetS-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16, 19 53 llnlllllllllllrlllV II I! IINVENTOR. 4 c HIM ATTORNEY' Jan. 22, 1957 w. H. JOACHlM 2,778,704

OPEN TOP CABINET WITH CARD HOLDER Filed Nov. 15, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. l" wit/AM Mug/A7 My AT TORNEY Jan. 22, 1957 w. H. JOACHlM OPENTOP CABINET WITH CARD HOLDER S Sheets-Sheet 3 Flled Nov. 16, 1953VENTOR.

AT TORNEY United States Patent 2,778,704 OPEN TOP CABINET WITH CARDHOLDER William H. Joachim, Rockville Centre, N. Y. Application November16, 1953, Serial No. 392,280

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-309) The present invention relates primarily to a toolcabinet and more particularly to a movable tool cabinet of the typegenerally employed in garages, service stations, and other places whererepairs, adjustments, and other services are performed on automobilesand the like.

It is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide atool cabinet that is readily movable to the place where work is to bedone such as on automobiles in a garage, and which has provision forcontaining in proper order all the tools normally employed in servicingor adjusting automobiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of the abovetype and including the feature of providing a convenient writing tablesurface upon which a serviceman can readily keep an account of time,parts and material employed on a service or repair job.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet with theabove features and including a holder for displaying instruction cardscontaining, for example, lubricating, oiling and greasing instructionswith the card positioned so as to be readily readable While theservicenman is performing the various services.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet with aremovable card file or file box wherein various cards listinginformation for servicing various .types and makes of automobiles canreadily be kept.

The above and further objects and features of the invention will be moreapparent in the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment thereof, wherein reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, in the latter of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cabinet of the present invention,showing mainly the front and right side there- :of and with the topshown in its open position;

.Fig. 2 is a front view of the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of the cabinet :taken on line3-3 of Fig. 2.

r'Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the cabinet taken substantiallyon line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '5 is a small detailed View taken on line 5.5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6lis a-sect-ional view taken on'li-ne 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the cabinet is indicated in general bythe numeral 11, and may be of any dimensions desired within its intendedpurposes, and preferably of such a height that the top forms aconvenient writing and checking surface for-a mechanic or Servicemanwhen standing. Obviously, while these dimensions are those preferred,the size of the cabinet may be varied to suit different purposes and thedescribed size and embodiment thereof is for illustrative purposes. I

Attached to the bottom of the cabinet 11 at the rear thereof are a pairof wheels 12 which together with shoes or legs 13 at the front cornerssupport the cabinet. A handle 14 is secured to the front of the cabinet,and by means of the handle the front of the cabinet may be raised andthe cabinet readily wheeled about. With rollers or wheels 12 only at therear of the cabinet, it

2,778,704 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 will not have a tendency to freelyroll, which is a great advantage in cabinets of this type andparticularly when the cabinet is employed on an incline or sloping flooras they sometimes are.

The cabinet 11 has a frame of suitable rigidity which may be of angleiron, for example, to which are attached side panels 14' of sheet metal.The frame gives the cabinet the required rigidity and the side panels14' add to the ridigity. Extending between the two side panels at thelower edges thereof is a bottom plate 16. The plate 16 is suitablysecured to the side panels 14' and to the frame to strengthen thecabinet, and has the front edge 17 bent down at right angles tostrengthen the same and prevent unnecessary bending thereof.

Suitably secured to the frame above the bottom plate 16 is a horizontalshelf 18, similar in size and construction to the bottom plate. Thebottom plate 16 and shelf 18 thus form two open-faced compartments 19and 20 in the lower section of the cabinet 11 which may be used, forexample, to contain tools and certain supplies that would be employedand used in the servicing of an auto mobile. The rear of thecompartments 19 and 2.0 are closed by the back 21 of the cabinet 11.

As shown in the side sectional view, Fig. 3, the horizontal panel 22forming the upper part of the compartment 20 has secured thereto a pairof spaced apart drawor guides 23. Slidably mounted in the guides 23 isan open front drawer 24, hereinafter referred to as the grease gundrawer, with a handle 26 at the lower front thereof. Since theback panel21 of the compartments 1? and 20 extends only to the top of thecompartment 20, the drawer 24 is slidable into and out of the cabinet 11from the rear thereof. Secured to the bottom of the grease gun drawer 24adjacent the front thereof is a section of sheet metal 27, Fig. 5, witha nunrber of curved depressions therein extending toward the back of thedrawer. The curved depressions in the sheet metal 27 serve to holdgrease guns placed therein in alignment and in proper position toprevent damage thereto. Thus the grease gun drawer 24 keeps the greaseguns placed therein in proper position and in alignment with one anotherand prevents the same from rolling about in the cabinet. When the drawer24 is pulled out, the grease guns thereon are readily available for useand convenient to the person employing the same.

Located above the handle 14 in the front of the cabinet 11 is an openingin which slides a drawer 28 hereinafter referred to as the small toolsor small parts drawer. A l1andle 29 formed by bending the front of thedrawer 28 out and down serves as a convenient means for operating thedrawer. Guides 31 on the upper side of a horizontal panel 32 guide thesmall parts drawer 28 in its movement, and a lu-g 33 cooperates with theback of the drawer to prevent the drawer from normally being drawn outtoo far so as to tip down and spill the con- "ice tents thereof.

. thus forms a top or lid for a compartment 38 in the forward section ofthe upper part of the cabinet. 11. The front top 34 is shown in itslifted position in Fig. 1, and it is held in this position by a stay rod39, the upper end of which may be anchored in the underside of the fronttop 34, and the lower end anchored in the upper edge of one of the sidepanels 14. The compartment 38 may be used to contain work orders or worksheets U upon which work performed and parts and supplies used arerecorded.

The back top section 41 is hinged at 42 at the rear of the cabinet 11and has a pair of rods such as 43 secured to the upper surface thereofwhich support a card holder 44. The card holder is rigidly supported bythe rods 43 at a slightly tilted angle so that information on a cardcontained in the holder may be easily read by a person standing at thefront of the cabinet. The card holder 44 includes a pair of members 46at the edges thereof and a fiat panel 47 extending between the twomembers'46. The flat panel 47, which may be of Lucite or a similarplastic, supports the cards placed in the card holder, and the members46 are spaced a slight distance from the face thereof. Thus channels areformed at the sides of the card holder whereby a card may be slid intothe holder and held in place therein. A notch 43 in the upper centralsection of the panel 47 enables the top of the card to be grasped foreasy removal thereof from the holder by sliding it out of the channelsformed by the members 46 and the face of the panel. A curved tray 49 atthe front lower edge of the card holder 44 provides a convenient pencilholder for the servicemen who may use it in checking or entering itemson the work sheets supported on the front top section 34 of the cabient.Pivotally secured to the underside of the top section 41 are a pair oflinks 49 which extend into slots or openings 50 in the top of the sidesections. The links 49 have bent lower ends 51, Fig. 3, which engage thetop side sections of the cabinet when the top section 41 is opened tolimit the opening thereof.

'When the top section 41 is opened to its limit, as shown in Fig. 1, theweight of the card holder 44 is such as to hold it in its open position.In this position the card holder 44 is at a slight slope and normally acard therein will not slide out by itself due to the friction between itand the members 46. Spring leaf friction members can be provided, ifdesired, to hold the card in the holder when in the position shown inFig. 1.

The cards for the holder 44 may contain in addition to generalelectrical and motor servicing information, instruction and data forgreasing and oiling automobiles.

'With this latter data and instructions printed in an inverted positionon the cards with respect to the other information thereon, the latterwill be properly presented to the Serviceman while working from the backof the cabinet with the top section 41 open. The data containing thegreasing instruction, for example, may be printed on the back of thecards and the serviceman would turn the card over when proceeding to agreasing operation in addition to opening the top section 41. The greasegun drawer 24 has substantial length so that it can be drawn out of thecabinet sufficiently, and the overlying card holder 44 when the topsection is open does not I 4 attendant to readily select the carddesired and place it in the card holder 44. Normally each card willcontain the information necessary for the servicing of a particular makeand/or model of automobile.

A U-shaped member 55 is attached to the back of the cabinet above thegrease gun drawer 24 and has openings 56 in the upper surface thereof.The member 55 thus provides a convenient support and holder for oil cansor the like.

From the above description it can be seen that the invention provides acabinet that is highly useful in the servicing of automobiles andprovides a cabinet which greatly facilitates the servicing operations.

While the invention has been described in but a single illustrativeembodiment, it will be apparent that various modifications can be madetherein without departing from the spirit or essential attributesthereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations beplaced thereon as are imposed by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a cabinet comprising a plurality of open top compartments,individually associated hinged cover members for said compartments, saidcover members when in a closed position being in a common plane slightlyinclined toward the front of said cabinet with the forward one of saidcover member-s providing a smooth writing surface on the top thereof,the second one of said cover members being hinged at the back edge ofsaid cabinet and having rigidly secured thereto on the upper surfacethereof and extending upwardly therefrom with said cover member in aclosed position a substantiallyflat card holder, said card holder withsaid second cover member in a closed position being inclined slightly.toward the back of said cabinet, said card holder including means forholding flat cards at the inclined angle to present the same in areadily readable position from the front of said cabinet, means forlimiting the open position of said second cover member to less than avertical posit-ion with the weight of said card holder thereon biasingthe same in its limited open position, said card holder with said secondcover in an open position extending substantially beyond the back ofsaid cabinet and presenting the card therein in an upwardly inclinedposition when viewed from the back of said cabinet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS447,661 Burk Mar. 3, 1891 573,089 Haynes Dec. 15, 1896 628,346 MosherJuly 4, 1899 1,760,854 Wright May 27, 1930 2,453,129 Hinton Nov. 9, 19482,608,190 Winning Aug. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,736 France Nov. 6,1923 273,909 Switzerland June 1, 1953 956,837 France Aug, 15, 1947

